Did You Know That Mohammed Rafi Also Sang In English, Dutch, Creole, And Persian?

Further proof that the great singer could do just about anything.

Mohammed Rafi, undoubtedly one of the greatest singers of Hindi cinema, was a man of some unique talents, many of which perhaps still remain unknown to the multitudes of his fans and admirers.

While his voice never failed to stir up a stream of emotions in the listener's consciousness, not many are aware that Rafi not just sang in HIndi, a language in which he crooned most of his songs, but also English, Persian, Dutch, and the local language of Mauritius, Creole.

On July 31, Rafi's 36th death anniversary, Scroll.in ran a tribute piece for the late singer. Quoting from author Sujata Dev's biography of the late singer titled Mohammed Rafi: Golden Voice of the Silver Screen, the piece illustrates how despite being born in Amritsar with no English-language education, Rafi mastered his diction and crooned an English song.

Here is an audio clip of Rafi singing 'Although We Hail From Different Lands', a song which has the same composition as Shankar-Jaikishen's 'Baharon Phool Barsao' from the film Suraj, 1966.

While the accent may not be flawless, Rafi's voice still has the same magic.

Here, Rafi is heard singing in Creole, a song based on 'Ehsaan Mere Dil Pe Tumhara Hai Doston', again a Shankar-Jaikishen composition from the 1966 film, Gaban.

If this isn't evidence enough of Rafi's range as a vocalist, here's him wowing an audience in Dutch at a live concert.

And finally, this song where he collaborated with Afghani musicians in 1975 at Radio Kabul.